


How To (Live and) Die In the West

by orphan_account



Category: Smosh
Genre: Alternate Universe - Western, Bandits & Outlaws, Cowboys & Cowgirls, F/M, Gunshot Wounds, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-08-29
Packaged: 2019-06-11 10:55:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15313977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Bonnie Springs is a small town in constant fear of the infamous gang known as the Randy Bandits. The sheriff of the town, Joe Bereta, and his two deputies Matt Raub and Sunny Peabody, can't protect the town alone, so they enlisted the help of a group known as the Cowbaes. Unfortunately, lately the Bandits have been coming to the city more and more often, and they've been causing a lot more destruction than usual. Bonnie Springs is beginning to crumble, but the Cowbaes swore to protect it at all costs...even if that means they need to turn to more unorthodox methods to protect their beloved town.-(A western AU based on the Smosh Summer Games Wild West.)





	1. Robbery at Sundown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sheriff Joe is sick of the Randy Bandits raiding his town, especially after tonight. Meanwhile, Shayne and Courtney are busy planning out their future while trying to protect the town they want to raise their family in.

The town of Bonnie Springs has been oddly peaceful the past few weeks. Normally, the town was plagued by a gang of bandits who called themselves the Randy Bandits, but there hadn't been a single robber in almost a month. The sheriff of the town, Joe Bereta, had grown extremely paranoid and refused to let anyone rest from guard duty. His deputies, Sonny Peabody and Matt Raub, stood in a large bell tower towards the center of the city, where they were able to overlook everything going on. Throughout the city, Joe had stationed members of a group known as the Cowbaes. These people were ordinary citizens of the town who had promised to help protect it.

Joe had ordered the two Cowbaes he trusted most, Shayne Topp and Courtney Miller, to watch the Bank, knowing the Randy Bandits might try to rob it. Standing guard outside the General Store was Ericka Bozeman, known to most simply as Boze. Keith Leak Jr. and Wes Johnson were in charge of watching the City Hall and the remaining members of the Cowbaes, Joshua Ovenshire, known as Joven and Matt Sohinki were watching the town entrance, keeping track of who was coming in and out of the city.

"Maybe them Bandits finally gave up on taking over our here city when they realized the Cowbaes were always gonna be there to stop them," Courtney suggested to Shayne, bored of standing around with nothing to do. 

"Unlikely." Shayne shot back immediately. "They've been too successful, even with us here to stop them. It would be foolish of them to just move on to another town. They're either planning something huge or they think being silent and staying out of the town for a little while will trick us into thinking exactly what you just thought." Shayne explained. Courtney felt her cheeks turn red, feeling stupid for being tricked so easily by the Bandits' plan.

The two continued to pace back and forth in front of the Bank, waiting for something to happen or for Joe to come and tell them they could finally go home and get some sleep. Shayne never took his hand off his gun, ready to pull it from it's holster the instant he saw a flash of the Bandits' trademark red and black. Courtney was a bit more relaxed, but she, too, was scanning for any sign of those two colors she hated so much. 

Sunny and Matt had been told to ring the bell if they caught any sign of the Bandits, and Sohinki and Joven had their horses stationed with them by the town gate, enabling them to ride into the city and alert everyone as soon as possible if and when the Bandits showed up to sneak into the city. Everyone was beginning to think this would be yet another quiet night, as the sun was setting and night had befallen the town with no sign of any outlaws. A cool summer breeze was blowing through the town and everyone was beginning to relax; Boze had taken to looking up at the clear night sky to stargaze and Shayne and Courtney were quietly discussing their future together.

"Maybe someday when we really do drive out the Bandits for good, we can move to a new city, get married and start a family together." Shayne said, smiling at the idea of spending the rest of his life with Courtney. "Maybe we could even stay here in Bonnie Springs. Then the kids could get to know Uncle Sheriff Joe," Shayne and Courtney both laughed at the nickname many of the Cowbaes used for the Sheriff. "Either way, it would be a great life, raising children together. Don't you think?"

"Nothing brings me more hope for the future than the idea of bringing up a family with you, Shayne." Courtney responded. "As long as you let me name out first daughter Mary." Courtney added. Before Shayne could think up an answer to what she had said, the ringing of a bell filled their ears. Off in the distance, Shayne spotted Sohinki riding towards them on his horse.

"They attacked the General Store. Three of 'em. We suspect they're gonna do more than just rob that one place, so one of you needs to stay here and watch the Bank, but someone needs to go help Boze. You're the closest to her, and I got to go warn the rest of us," Sohinki explained, spurring his horse on to continue running. Shayne immediately ran to the side of the Bank where his steed, a large brown horse with white patches on his face and body, was waiting. He hopped up onto the animal and trotted over to Courtney.

"I love you," Courtney told him. "So don't even think about dying out there." Shayne leaned down and kissed Courtney, nothing more than a quick peck on the lips. He assured her he would return safely and jail the bandits before riding off as fast as he could to get to Boze. As soon as the General Store was in sight, Shayen hopped off his horse and pulled out his gun. Two of the bandits were standing outside of the store, shooting at something inside. Shayne quickly deduced that Boze was hiding behind the counter were the money was kept, and that she was who they were shooting at. Praying nobody had noticed him yet, Shayne aimed his gun at the bandit on the left, and pulled the trigger. It wasn't hard for him to figure out who he had just shot; based on her long purple hair, it had been Mari Takahasi. She was one of the two leaders of the gang, a fierce Japanese woman who could give even the toughest man a run for his money. The bullet Shayne had sent at her narrowly missed, causing Mari to whip her head around and point her gun in Shayne's direction.

"Shit," He mumbled. Taking a deep breath, Shayne took another shot, mentally slapping himself when he missed once again. He was a good shot, but the dark colors worn by the bandits made it easy for them to blend in at night, while the bright white shirts and hats worn by the Cowbaes made them stand out.

Shayne could faintly hear Mari yell something like, "I'll take him down, you worry about keeping her distracted," to the man beside her. Distracted? Shayne's mind began to race, thinking of what that could mean. If they were just trying to distract Boze, did that mean more Bandits had come to keep all of the Cowbaes busy while they did something larger? The only two things Shayne could think up were that the Bandits had come to rob the Bank, taking all the money the town had in it, or they had come to assassinate the Sheriff and Mayor, which would send things into chaos. Either way, Shayne had to stop them.

It was dangerous to get too close to the enemy, especially one like Mari who was known to keep a knife on her for close combat. Still, Shayne ran towards the bandit, hoping he could get a better shot. As he was running, Mari pulled the trigger on her gun. Lucky for Shayne, she missed. He fired a third bullet, hoping this time would be a success. Shayne had to repress a sound of joy as the bullet sunk itself into Mari's right shoulder. She let out a yelp of pain, her free hand going up to feel the wound. Shayne aimed his gun, intending to take another shot. Before he could, Mari fired her own gun, landing a bullet in Shayne's lower leg. He stumbled slightly and grit his teeth as he took another step with the leg that he been shot.

Mari took a few steps back and hissed, "I don't want to kill you, Cowbaby." To prove her point, she lowered her gun. "Just let me get on my horse and I'll ride out of town." Shayne didn't trust her, but he lowered his own gun slightly. 

"I want to follow you until you're out of town. That way I can trust that you're not tricking me." Mari agreed to the condition and put her gun away. Part of Shayne was suspicious of how easily she had given up, but another part of him was just happy to get the bandit out of town. The Bandit beside Mari, who Shayne could now identify as Ian Hecox, also lowered his gun and turned to Mari.

"I'll leave with you." He replied. "We ain't getting anything from this Store and I'm not looking to walk out of her riddled with bullet holes." Shayne signaled to Boze that she was safe, causing the young Cowbae to stand up and walk out of the store, her gun still at the ready. "I'm walking these two out of the city. Get on your horse and make sure everyone else is okay." Shayne instructed Boze. She nodded and ran off to get her horse.

Boze wandered through the town, only to find everyone was fine. Nobody except herself and Shayne had even had an encounter with the bandits. Boze, and all of the other Cowbaes, found it extremely odd. They had all been expecting the Bandits to rob everything in the town; after all, coming back from such a long break would make someone want to give a good show, right? 

When Boze got to the Bank, however, she immediately jumped off her horse and went running. Lying on the steps to the bank, blood trickling from a small gash on her right temple was Courtney. She was unconscious, presumably having been knocked out by a bandit. Inside the bank, the two tellers' bodies were lying motionless, clearly having been killed. The vault was open, large chunks of money having been stolen. 

Boze got back on her horse and rode to where Sunny and Matt Raub were stationed. "They robbed the bank. Killed the tellers, knocked Courtney out. Took a whole lot of money from the safe." Sunny rode off to tell Sheriff Joe the news, and Boze could see him shaking with fear. Joe was a nice guy, but when he got angry, he was terrifying, and there was no doubt he would be furious when he got this news. Matt Raub and Boze went to tell the rest of the Cowbaes the news. 

Everyone gathered in a room in the Town Hall that had been designated as their meeting place. Shayne was holding Courtney, who was still unconscious. Everyone was gathered around a table, waiting to hear what Boze, Shayne, and, when she was finally awake, Courtney had to say about the events of the night. 

"We were told three bandits came into town and that Boze needed me. Courtney said she could handle the Bank, especially 'cause the tellers are armed, too. I rode off to help Boze and got into a gun fight with Mari. She and Ian had been shootin' at Boze, who took cover inside the General Store. Mari surrendered real fast and I escorted her and Ian out of town. I was suspicious of how fast they gave up but I wasn't gonna kill them if they weren't gonna kill me." Shayne recapped. Boze told a similar story, claiming the Bandits had forced her back into the store. She also claimed that Bulletcorn, a wild orange-haired bandit, had originally been part of the group shooting at her. 

After a few minutes, Courtney woke up. She drank some water, moaned about the head ache she had, and shared what had happened after Shayne left. 

"Bulletcorn came at me. So did the pink haired boy with glasses. Noah, I think his name is?" Courtney began. "They looked real cute, both with their hair all pretty. But they pulled their guns on me, claiming they were gonna rob the bank. I was ready to shoot em, and I actually did put a bullet in Bulletcorn's side. But Noah snuck up behind me while I was busy shooting at his partner, and hit me real hard. I fell over and another hit had me out cold. I'm guessing by the looks on your faces that the bank was robbed and they got away." Everyone nodded.

"Listen to me," Joe yelled, standing up. "This better be the last time those Bandits rob my town." Joe always warned the Cowbaes not to let these things happen again, but this time his words had more weight to them. "Next time the Bandits are in town, you shoot them. If you need to, kill them." A small gasp was heard at those words. The Cowbaes always knew they could shoot a fatal bullet if they were out of options, but Joe always told them it was better to put someone in jail then to kill them. The idea of killing someone, even someone as low as a Randy Bandit, made the Cowbaes uneasy. After all, even the Bandits often refrained from killing people, something Shayne and Courtney had seen firsthand that day. Now, being told by Joe to kill them when the situation called for it, seemed wrong, somehow. Still, nobody said anything; the Cowbaes all agreed to take that course of action. "I'm sorry you have to see me like this, but I hate those bandits and I'm beyond tired of seeing them in my town." Joe hissed through his teeth. "That's all for now. I'm glad you're all okay and thank you to those of you who put your lives on the line fighting those bandits. Meeting dismissed." With those words, everyone filed out of the town hall, each going to his own direction. They knew tomorrow they would be stationed on guard duty once again, and everyone wanted to go get some sleep to prepare for the next day.

At home, Shayne and Courtney were lying in bed. Courtney had her own place in a small room located above the general store, but she begged Shayne to let her stay with him for the night because she was still shaken up. 

"Thanks for letting me stay with you. You're the best boyfriend ever." Courtney said in an overly sweet tone. Shayne just sighed and shook his head. 

"No problem, babe." Shayne answered. "But, while you're here, I want to talk to you. As much as I love Bonnie Springs, how long do you want to stay here?" Courtney didn't respond right away, contemplating the question. "I won't leave until we rid the town of the Bandits. We made a promise to Joe, and we can't break it." Shayne nodded, agreeing with the statement. "But, I don't think I want to stay here forever. The city is out in the middle of nowhere and it's too vulnerable to criminals. When we finally decide to start a family, I want to move somewhere safer." "Courtney, I know I said maybe someday we could move to another city but, I would rather stay here. I want our future kids to see the city we've dedicated ourselves to protecting." Shayne shot back. "No, Shayne. Even if we work as hard as possible to rid this place of crime, the town can never be fully safe." Courtney argued. "And I don't want my kids to have to live in constant fear of bandits." "The Randy Bandits are the only real problem this town has. Stop them, stop the crime here. Our kids will know a safe world, and we'll be able to say we made it that way." Shayne fought back. "Never mind. I don't want to argue about this right now." Courtney spat. "This is a discussion for another time." Her voice calmed down a bit. Shayne kept his mouth shut, not wanting to say the wrong thing.

With that, Courtney, Shayne and the rest of Bonnie Springs went to bed for the night, all of them preparing to protect the city the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will focus a bit more on what is going on with the Randy Bandits at their hide out.


	2. 'Til Death Do Us Part

Ian, leader of the Randy Bandits, gave a broad smile to Bulletcorn and Noah when they finally arrived back at the hide out with all of the stolen cash from the bank. This had been the first of many heists planned by the gang, and they had been lucky enough to call it a huge success. Ian prayed the next job would go as well as the first, and if the Cowbaes were as unprepared the second time as they were the first, there was no doubt that everything would proceed smoothly. 

All of the Bandits were gathered in one of the two small rooms that made up their hideout, each awaiting the report from those who had gone into Bonnie Springs earlier that night. Olivia, the self-proclaimed medic of the group, had put her supplies and was waiting to help Bulletcorn and Noah with any gunshot wounds once they returned. 

Everyone cheered when Bulletcorn tossed a large canvas bag full of money on the ground, announcing that everything had been a success. Olivia immediately ran over to Bulletcorn, examining the bullet would and insisting he lay down so she could patch him up. 

As Olivia cleaned the wound, Ian stood up and called for everyone's attention. Mari was sitting down next to the spot Ian was standing, waiting for him to begin the speech he was preparing. Ian might have been in charge of the gang, but Mari was his second-in-command--and most people were more afraid of her than they were of Ian. The Bandits were all doing their own things, but they were all listening to Ian. Damien was busy cleaning a pistol, Amra, known more often to the group as Flitz, was hunched over a piece of paper, examining it closely, and Noah was sitting against the wall, humming quietly to himself. As soon as Ian began to speak, everyone fell silent and turned their eyes up to him and opened their ears to what he was saying. 

"We did good today. We robbed the Bonnie Springs bank and all of us made it out alive. I would've liked to see Courtney killed," Ian added, shooting a quick glance in Bulletcorn and Noah's direction. "But, nevertheless, everything was a success and our plan is coming together perfectly." Ian continued to explain the plan to the gang. They would wait a few days before striking again. This time, Flitz, Mari, Noah and Damien would all go into town. The Bandits plan was to assassinate Sheriff Joe Bereta, because, without him, the town would fall into chaos. He was the glue that held it together, and more importantly, he was the one in charge of the Cowbaes, meaning if Joe was gone, the Cowbaes wouldn't have such an easy time defending Bonnie Springs. Damien was the newest member of the gang, and for that reason, the Cowbaes didn't recognize him as easily. Damien was going to go into the saloon the evening after his arrival in the town, and while there, he would chat up any Cowbaes that were there. His job would be to buy them some drinks and get them drunk enough to be groggy, and then he would give the signal to Mari, Flitz and Noah. Those three would storm into the saloon, shoot some bullets to scare everyone and cause as big and loud of a scene as possible. The Cowbaes would be too drunk to do anything, and the sheriff and his deputies would come running to arrest the bandits. If all went as planned, the Sheriff would be killed, hopefully along with any other Cowbaes who were in the saloon. 

Nobody objected to the plan; they all agreed that it was pretty good. Olivia briefly brought up the idea of simply sneaking into the Sheriff's Office and assassinating Joe while he was in there, but Ian countered it by stating that the Bandit's wanted to make a scene because part of their plan was making a big scene in order to strike more fear into the townspeople. Everyone seemed to agree that the plan was good, so the bandits planned to ride into town tomorrow. Their hideout was about an hour out from Bonnie Springs, so Mari told the group that it was best for them to leave in the evening so they could sneak into town at night and not be seen. They would have a day to prepare, and the following evening they would execute their plan. 

It was long past sundown when the bandits all decided it was time to go to sleep for the night. Mari and Ian stayed awake, Mari choosing to go outside and stargaze for a bit. She was sitting on a patch of grass outside the hideout, fiddling with a small knife in her hand as she searched for some of the familiar constellations in the night sky. She heard footsteps behind her and whipped her body around, holding out the knife in case it was someone looking to attack her. She lowered the knife and grinned when her eyes met those of Ian. 

"I'm not here to hurt you, just wanted to talk." He said. Mari sighed and sat back down, patting the ground beside her. Ian walked over and sat down, throwing his arm around Mari's shoulders. "Promise me you'll be safe tomorrow. This is the first time in as long as I can remember that one of us is going into town without the other, and if you don't make it back, I'll never forgive myself for-" 

"Ian, I'll be fine. If there's anyone you need to worry about, it's Damien. The kid is still kinda clumsy with a gun." Mari replied, chuckling. 

"I trust you, I know you can hold your own against all of 'em. I just need you to assure me you're gonna be okay, I guess." Ian said. "Anyway, what are you doing out here? You should really be resting. You just finished a job and tomorrow you've got to do it again." 

"I just wanted some peace and alone time, I guess." Mari explained. "It's nice to sit out in the cool night air, and I've always enjoyed searching the stars for images." Ian never understood why Mari loved to stargaze so much. Maybe it was because he was too stupid to see them, but he never was able to pick out the constellations, even when Mari pointed them out to him. He pretended to enjoy it, though, because he loved to see how excited Mari got when he saw the stars connecting to form the image of a lion or a dragon. 

"Look up to the north," Mari said suddenly, pointing to the direction. "See that real bright star? Now look to the left of it. It kind of looks like the body of a dog, right? When I was a little girl, I had a dog named Jade, and after she died, my mom told me she was up in heaven and those stars were her way of telling us she was looking down on us." Ian smiled, enjoying the cheesy story Mari had told him. He could faintly make out the shape of a dog, but he wasn't entirely sure how Mari could actually work out the entire body of one. "I suppose we should go to sleep." Mari cut into Ian's thoughts suddenly. She yawned as she stood up and grabbed Ian's hand, dragging him with her back to the entrance of their hideout. The two crawled into bed, curling up next to each other under the covers. 

"I love you," Ian mumbled, pressing a quick kiss to Mari's head. "Good luck tomorrow." Mari mumbled a quiet, "I love you, too" before drifting off to sleep. 

\- 

The next morning, Ian obsessively went over the plan with Mari, Damien, Flitz and Noah, making sure everyone had every detail of what was going to happen memorized. Not only did he want everyone to return safely after the plan, but everyone also knew this was the most important job the bandits were ever going to pull off. After all, killing the town Sheriff would be the biggest thing to bring Bonnie Springs closer to the Randy Bandit's grasp.

"All right boys, grab your horses and let's ride into town." Mari instructed. Her group all obeyed, mounting their horses and following her as she headed off in the direction to Bonnie Springs. The way there was mostly silent, everyone focused on going over the plan one final time in their head. 

As they were walking, Damien pulled his horse up beside Noah's and began talking. "Do you think everything is gonna go okay?" He asked. "I'm just a little worried. I feel like I'm the expendable one in the group and I almost feel like my whole job in this plan is to put my life in danger." 

"Damien, all of us are always putting our lives on the line when we do these things." Noah said. "And even if you are in a more dangerous spot than the rest of us, you have the most important job." Damien couldn't help but wonder how his job was the most important, but he decided not to question it. 

The rest of the walk to Bonnie Springs was mostly silent, with Mari occasionally reassuring the group that things would go okay. Eventually, as the sun was getting low on the horizon, painting the sky with a brilliant splash of blood red and royal purple, the Bandits neared the town. Everyone was dressed in different clothes from their usual red and black garb to disguise who they were, and the group sent Damien to enter the town ahead of them. Mari, Flitz and Noah were going to wait until the sun had fully set so that their faces would be better hidden in the dark.

Damien rode his horse into the town, briefly being stopped by a man whose name he believed to be Wes. Wes questioned him on his intentions in coming to town, and Damien explained that he was just a traveler passing through on his way to the larger town Reno. Wes accepted this answer and let Damien into town. Damien traveled to a small inn, got himself a room and waited for the others to arrive. Some time passed, and, finally, Damien heard a knock on his door. He opened the door a crack, his hand drifting to the gun in his holster, just in case someone other than Noah was on the other side of the door. As soon as Damien saw the familiar glasses and broad smile, he opened the door and ushered Noah inside the room. 

"Mari and Flitz are staying in the room next to us." Noah explained. "And I'm exhausted, so I say we should just go to bed." Damien didn't argue, he just locked the door to the room, threw his hat, shoes and gun to the side and flopped onto the mattress. Noah took his time removing everything until he was down to his underwear, folded all of his clothes and put them on top of a dresser pushed into a corner of the room, along with his hat, gun and glasses. 

"G'night," Noah mumbled to Damien as he slithered under the covers on the bed. Damien turned over in the bed, pecked Noah on the lips and muttered, 'good night' back at him. The two fell asleep, though Damien found it hard to rest when his mind was running wild with thoughts about how tomorrow might turn out.

\- 

Damien was sitting in the town Saloon, waiting to execute the plan. He had ordered himself a drink and was holding the beer in his hand, occasionally taking a sip. He was careful not to drink too much, though, as the alcohol was strong and he wasn't sure how much he would be able to handle. Looking around the saloon, Damien spotted two Cowbaes. He immediately recognized the girl as Courtney Miller, and the guy with her as Shayne Topp. Aside from those two, there were actually quite a few regular townspeople in the saloon. Damien waited until Shayne and Courtney were near him, ordering drinks before speaking to them. 

"You two look like you're a part of that group, the Cowbaes. One of the folks from this town told me about y'all. You dress in blue and white, and you protect this place from some people who call themselves the Randy Bandits." Shayne and Courtney nodded, confirming that what Damien had stated was true. "I respect what you do. Protecting a town ain't an easy job. Let me buy your drinks for you." Shayne and Courtney argued, but Damien insisted, and finally they caved and let Damien make the purchase for them. They sat at the bar, chatting with Damien as the three of them drank together. Every now and then, when the two of them drained their glasses, Damien would get them another beer. After a few drinks, he could see Shayne's eyes glaze over a bit, and Damien could hear Courtney's words become more and more slurred. Knowing he had them drunk, Damien excused himself, blaming it on needing to go to the bathroom. In reality, he was heading out behind the saloon to let the others know they could come in and perform their part of the plan anytime they were ready. 

Damien headed back inside the saloon, taking a seat back where he had been before, at the bar next to Shayne. Damien picked up his glass, taking another gulp of beer as he waited to see his cohorts enter the building. He heard the door open and looked up to see three very familiar faces, all standing with their trademark black hats and red bandannas. Noah didn't have a hat on, his pink hair causing him to stand out. Mari lifted her gun to the ceiling, firing a bullet to grab the attention of everyone in the saloon. 

"All right, everyone, listen up! We're holding you hostage. Anyone makes a move to escape, we shoot 'em." To make their point clear, Noah and Flitz pulled out their guns. Damien pretended to be afraid, keeping the illusion that he was just a stranger passing through alive. 

Shayne and Courtney's hands both glided down to their hips where their guns were sitting in holsters. Neither of them pulled their guns out right away, not wanting to draw too much attention to themselves, knowing if they did, they would be shot at. The two of them weren't too worried, since they knew Boze was close to the saloon, as she was stationed right outside a confectionery across the street. As soon as she saw the Bandits and heard the gun shots, she would hurry to get Sheriff Joe and his deputies. All they had to do while they waited for her, was keep everyone alive and pray the Bandits wouldn't start wildly shooting. 

Mari stepped forward, locking eyes with Courtney and Shayne. She pointed her gun directly at Shayne, a look of pure hatred in her eyes. "If it isn't my favorite Cowbaby," She spat. Shayne could only assume she was still bitter that he had shot her two days back. "You and your little girlfriend better hand over your guns if you don't want me to shoot you." Shayne turned to Courtney and nodded. Courtney pulled out her gun and slid it across the counter of the bar. Mari stomped over and picked it up. She shot a glare at Shayne, waiting for him to hand her his gun, too. 

"I don't have a gun on me," Shayne lied. Luckily, he kept his gun hidden from sight under his shirt. 

"Keep an eye on him," Mari growled to Damien. "If he pulls a gun, you blow his brains out." 

"Who are you talk-" Shayne questioned, his words being cut off when he felt the cold metal of the barrel of a gun press against the side of his head. "You son a bitch," Shayne hissed. 

"Don't move a muscle, and I won't pull the trigger." Damien explained. "This is just a safety precaution." 

Everyone else in the saloon was cowering in fear, everyone was huddled together in the corners of the rooms, and the two bartenders were standing behind the counter with their hands in the air. Every minute that passed by was agonizingly slow as Mari, Noah and Flitz paced around the room, watching everyone, and Damien kept Shayne at gun point. Courtney was sitting perfectly still, her body stiff with fear as she silently prayed that Boze, Joe, Sunny and Matt would arrive soon. 

Courtney's prayers were finally answered after what seemed like hours, when the doors swung open and three people entered the room. Suddenly, the room was a flurry of noise and bullets. Shayne ducked down and punched Damien in the gut, forcing the brunette to stumble backwards into the bar and fire a bullet across the room, luckily not hitting anyone. Shayne pulled out his gun pointed it at Damien, though he refrained from shooting right away. While Damien was still slumped over from the punch, Courtney dove down and picked up his gun, twisting her body around and firing a bullet at Noah. Her shaking arm caused her to miss Noah. Joe had fired three bullets, all of them at Mari. The Japanese girl was bleeding, one of the bullets having embedded itself in her left shoulder. Boze and Sunny, who had accompanied Joe, had yet to fire their guns, but Boze threw a punch at Noah, jumping on his back in order to bring the young bandit down to the ground. Noah yelped as his body hit the floor; Boze slammed the butt of her pistol into his hand, the pain making him drop his own gun. Boze hit the weapon, sliding it across the room. One of the civilians ran and picked it up, her eyes wide with fear as she held it up, ready to defend herself if necessary. Flitz was standing still, watching the violence unfold. Damien, who was now without a weapon, looked up and shouted, 

"Flitz, help me out over here!" Flitz held up his gun, making it look like he was going to shoot Shayne. His finger was on the trigger, but he seemed reluctant to send a bullet. Noah, who had finally shoved Boze off his back and was busy regaining himself shouted at Flitz to pull the trigger. Flitz took a deep breath, ran towards Shayne and Courtney, and pulled the trigger. However, the bullet didn't go anywhere near the male Cowbae's back like it should have. Flitz had moved to a different angle that allowed him to sink a bullet in Damien's stomach. 

"He shot Damien!" Noah cried out. His mind was swirling with emotions. He had just seen a close friend of his shoot his lover, and now the Bandit's plans seemed to be falling apart. Mari shouted something at Noah that sounded like, "Shoot 'im back!", but Noah didn't have a gun in his hands. He crouched down, pulling a small knife from his boot. He ran at Boze, slashing the knife across her arm, drawing blood. The Cowbae shrieked in pain, throwing another punch at Noah's jaw. Her first connected his face, sending Noah stumbling back a few steps. While those two were fighting, Mari and Joe were staring at each other, their guns pointed directly at each other. Both knew as soon as one pulled the trigger, the other would follow, and both would end up wounded, or worse, dead. Sunny had taken the time to file the townspeople out of the bar, lucky that all of the Bandits were too distracted to notice. Courtney helped him, leaving Shayne to watch Damien. 

Part of Shayne knew he could easily kill Damien right now if he wanted to, but he decided to show the Bandit mercy. He watched over him, gun still out in case the Bandit tried anything, though he doubted Damien would or could pull any stunts while his stomach was bleeding so heavily. Joe called something out, and Shayne whipped around. He scanned the situation before him, realizing the predicament Joe was stuck in. Shayne pointed his gun at Mari and fired. As his finger pulled the trigger, he felt a sharp pain in his lower leg. Damien, much like Noah, had a knife in his boot and he had used it to stab Shayne. The brunette Bandit managed to pull his body up, and he stuck the knife in Shayne's shoulder, his hand still grasping the handle as he slumped back down to the ground, causing the knife to scrape down Shayne's arm, tearing open a large wound in his flesh before it was finally ripped out right before the elbow. Shayne howled in pain as blood oozed from the wound, running down his arm and dripping onto the wood floor beneath him. Boze was lying on the floor, knocked out, Noah now standing over her and holding her gun. Noah was bleeding from the mouth and nose, but he seemed mostly okay. As soon as Flitz noticed that Noah was looking at him, he started running toward the pink-haired bandit. 

"Traitor!" Noah screamed, releasing a bullet in Flitz's direction. The bullet grazed Flitz, but he kept running. He and Noah became locked in a fight, their guns dropped to the ground as Flitz, who was exceptional at fist fighting, began to pummel Noah. The younger man tried to fight back with his knife, but Flitz was fast and kept landing punches on the already weakened Noah. As the two fought, Shayne and Damien were laying in a pool of blood, but Damien had picked up his knife and sliced Shayne across the stomach. 

"Now you know how I feel," Damien spat, smirking at Shayne. As he said that, Damien ripped a piece of fabric off his shirt and pressed it against his bullet wound to stop the bleeding as best he could. He picked up the nearest gun he could find the floor, kicked Shayne in the side of the head to temporarily knock him out, and fired at Joe. The bullet hit the Sheriff just below the knee, and while he was hunched out, Mari fired two bullets. One struck Joe as he was standing up, hitting him right in the chest. Mari knew it hadn't been a fatal shot, but if Joe didn't get medical help soon, the wound could be enough to kill him. Joe tried to shoot the bandit, but Mari was already upon him, smacking the gun out of his hand. The Sheriff looked up at her, his eyes glazed over in pain. Mari placed her gun against his forehead, ready to shoot. She was stopped, however, when a bullet hit her in the back, just to the left of her shoulder blade. 

"Get out, now." She heard Flitz say. "I won't kill any of you, but you, Noah and Damien better leave." 

"You traitor." She hissed. "How could you?" Flitz stayed silent, not saying anything. Noah was lying on the ground beside him, unconscious and bleeding, but still alive. Flitz surveyed the saloon, seeing nothing but bloody carnage around him. He needed to get help for everyone soon, or Boze, Shayne and Joe might not live to see another day. Mari and Damien weakly stood up and grabbed Noah, Damien throwing the young bandit's limp body over his shoulder. They trudged through the streets in the darkness, sneaking back into the inn by going behind the building. Mari had brought some medical supplies, which she used to patch up the bandits as best as she could until they would be able to return to the hideout and let Olivia properly care for their wounds. 

"I can't believe Flitz was a traitor. How long do you think he was working for the Cowbaes?" Damien asked, his voice shaky. 

"I don't know, and quite frankly I don't care. But I can tell you this much: Now that I've hopefully killed that damn Sheriff, Flitz is on top my list of people to kill the next time I come into this town." Mari replied.


	3. The Sky Is Falling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not really sure if I like this chapter, but I wanted to have something to post you all. Thank you so much to everyone who has read this and left kudos! My plan is to try and give you two chapters a month from now on, if I can manage with school and work. I'm very excited for chapter four--I think it's going to be a good one. For now, hopefully everyone enjoys chapter three!

Courtney was sitting in an old wooden chair in one of the hospital rooms, while the doctor worked to get the bullet out of Joe's chest. She could feel her body shaking, her blood running ice cold, as she worried about the sheriff. She had already been assured by a nurse that, though there would be some scarring and pain, Shayne was going to be perfectly fine once his wounds were cleaned and stitched. Joe, on the other hand, had no guarantee at living. Sure, the bullet had missed his heart, but it was still lodged in his chest, and if the doctor made even one mistake, he was a goner. 

The minutes passed by agonizingly slow, but Courtney felt sudden relief wash over her when someone wrapped their arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug. Sohinki mumbled, "You feeling all right?" As Courtney threw her arms around him, refusing to let go. The presence of another Cowbae, a trusted ally, made her feel a lot better. 

"I'm just worried about the Sherifff." Courtney answered. 

"He's gonna be fine." Sohinki reassured her. As Sohinki spoke, the rest of the Cowbaes filed into the hospital, all of them looking fairly shaken up by the news they had been told upon arrival. 

Courtney caught everyone up on the events of the night, starting with Damien disguising himself, and going up to her arrival at the hospital. Everyone seemed confused when Courtney explained that Flitz had been on their side, but Courtney assured them they could trust him. The ex-Bandit hadn't even stayed in town, he had ridden off on a horse shortly after helping everyone get to the hospital. Before he left, he told Courtney he was desperate to leave the life of crime, and that getting as far away from Bonnie Springs as possible felt like the only safe way to make sure the Bandits could never find him and pull him back in. He did, however, tell Courtney that if they ever ran into each other again, he would gladly offer whatever help was needed by the Cowbaes. 

After a couple of hours had passed by, and most of the Cowbaes had fallen asleep, the doctor came out and awoke Courtney. His face was pale with worry as he beckoned her to the back of the hospital to see Sheriff Joe. 

\- 

As was usual for Olivia, the young Chinese girl was hunched over her friends, tending to their wounds. Ian had tried to interrogate the Bandits about how their mission had gone, and where Flitz was, but Olivia shooed him out of the room, insisting that Ian could leave them alone long enough for their wounds to be taken care of. Ian sat impatiently, arm crossed against his chest as he tapped his foot on the ground and watched Olivia inspect Noah. When the medic was finally done and everyone was given some time to fully recover, Ian started bombarding Noah and Mari with questions once again. 

"Did you kill the Sheriff?" Ian demanded. 

"I shot him." Mari explained. "I don't know if he's dead, but there's a good chance he is." 

"What happened to Flitz? Who killed him?" Ian asked. His voice was harsh, but Mari could see that Ian was genuinely worried. 

"Nobody. He was a traitor." Noah cut in. A sudden, eerie silence washed over the room as the news sunk in. Bulletcorn, who had always been close to Flitz, dropped his gun in disbelief. Olivia said nothing, still hunched over Damien, fretting over him as he tried to push her away. Bulletcorn stood up and walked over to Ian, clapping his hand against his shoulder. 

"You always tell us Bandits can't trust no one," He said. "We should've been suspicious of Flitz. He always was too soft to be one of us, don't you think?" Bulletcorn was trying to make Ian feel better--trying to comfort the entire group. But nothing could chase away the feeling of betrayal that had sunk into the minds of all the Bandits. 

"Don't let this bother you too much." Ian told the group, forcing his face to appear neutral. "Someone was bound to turn against the group from the start. As much as I hate to say it, we can't let Flitz doing this stick with us for too long. That being said," Ian sighed, the attention of his entire gang on his words. "If any of us ever see Flitz again, we will not hesitate to kill him." 

Mari couldn't tell why she was upset about what Flitz had done. Part of her was upset to lose someone who had become a close friend, but another part of her was upset because she knew the mission would have been a guaranteed success if he would have been on their side. Mari was cold-hearted, like a bandit had to be. She wasn't supposed to care about anyone except herself, and she shouldn't have hesitated to take Flitz out as soon as she realized that he was playing for the other team, but a part of her couldn't deny that she was going to miss having Flitz around for a long time to come. 

\- 

"Sheriff Bereta is incredibly lucky, he seems to have the most attentive guardian angel in the world." The doctor joked. "If I'm being honest with you, there's no reason he should be alive right now. The bullet was extremely close to his heart and, though I do consider myself a talented doctor, the odds of me safely extracting it were relatively low." The doctor explained. Courtney hesitantly walked into the room where Joe was lying, now awake. 

"You're alive," Courtney said, tears of joy pooling in her eyes. Joe cringed as he sat up, nodding his head. 

"It's gonna be awhile before I'm ready to get back out there, but I'll live." He answered. The rest of the Cowbaes were now awake and filing into the room, all excited to see the Sheriff, awake and alive. “Listen up, everyone.” Joe called, grabbing the attention of everyone. “Shayne, Boze and myself got a little beat up out there tonight. The Bandits caught us off guard, and they did some damage. In the coming months, I want you all on alert. I want you to be ready for anything at all times. Never let your guard down. And, if you see a Bandit, the orders remain the same. You have full permission to kill them on sight.” 

Courtney always felt uneasy when Joe said those words. Killing people wasn’t the Cowbae way-in fact, that was one of the defining differences between the Cowbaes and the Randy Bandits. Still, she understood the need to rid Bonnie Springs of the villains, and after what Damien had done to Shayne back at the Saloon, Courtney was out for blood. 

 

Joe had set up a new system for the Cowbaes to follow while he was out of commission. Sunny, the more trusted of his two deputies, was put in charge as the temporary sheriff. Joe had insisted Shayne stay at home and rest, even just for a few days (something Courtney was quick to second), but Shayne insisted he would be fine to be back on guard duty. Sunny had the Cowbaes on a strict schedule, with a couple of them assigned a specific time of day, be it night or day, and a specific section of the town that they were to patrol. 

One only had to spend a few minutes in the town to realize how tense things were. Everyone seemed on edge, afraid to turn their back or even blink. Some of the townspeople, women included, had started arming themselves with small guns in case of another attack. Every time someone saw a flash of red or black, they flinched, the trademark colors of the bandit gang striking fear into everyone. The Bandit’s always left an impression on the people, but it was usually gone within a few days when the Cowbaes reminded everyone that they were safe in their hands. This time, the Bandits had done more damage than anyone seen in a long time. Putting the Sheriff out of commission left a lasting impression on the people, like a dark cloud looming over their heads. 

 

Courtney stood outside the Confectionary, gun in hand. Her eyes were narrowed to keep the high noon sun out of her eyes as she scanned every face that approached for the familiarity of any of the bandits. She felt guilt wash over her when her arm jolted, her gun at the ready as a young Asian girl walked past. Instinctively, Courtney had thought it was Mari. 

Every day went by the same. The Cowbaes all patrolled the town, waiting for the inevitable return of their enemies. The Randy Bandits never came, never trying to disguise themselves in the daylight or sneak in through the dark evening. Eventually the doctor allowed Joe to leave, deciding the wound in his chest was no longer an issue. As soon as Sunny handed the Sheriff badge back to Joe, the man seemed to go wild with the return of his power. He called a meeting in town hall, everyone gathering for what they presumed would be the usual run down of their weekly plan of attack. 

“We spend most of our days waiting for Ian and his gang to come to us.” Joe began. “I think it’s time we try something different.” A confused murmur snaked through the Cowbaes. “I’m sending a group of you to find their hideout. Miss Miller, I know Flitz told you the rough location of it.” Everyone turned to face Courtney, who took the stage and began speaking. 

“I know exactly where it is, actually. Sheriff Bereta and I already discussed this. Boze, Wes Shayne and myself are going to leave town in three days, find their hideout and, if all goes well, get rid of the Bandits for good.” The dark look in Courtney’s eyes as she said that caused everyone to freeze. This was serious. They were going to find the Bandits and kill every last one of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (This chapter is only a little over 1,500 words..sorry it's so short! I just wanted to get something written for everyone, and I needed to set up the next chapter.)


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